Vol. 534 No. 4
172 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has any blueprint, discussion document or policy regarding public/private partnerships in his Department's area of competence (details supplied); and if so if he will forward these. [11099/01]
In May 2000, I pub lished a study, A Policy Framework for Public Private Partnerships, which was conducted by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers, with the assistance of McCann Fitzgerald, MC O'Sullivan, L'Estrange & Brett and EC Harris, on behalf of my Department. This major study confirmed that there is considerable potential for PPP projects in the roads, water services and waste management sectors in Ireland and it provides general guidance for local authorities engaged in the implementation of PPPs.
This report marked an important first step in the development of a comprehensive set of procedures and documentation that will enable the advancement of PPPs in an orderly and efficient manner in these and other local government sectors. It is envisaged that this guidance will be built upon through the experience of pilot projects. The report and the 15 guidance notes are available on the PPP website managed by my Department – ppp.gov.ie – and a full copy of the report is available in the Oireachtas Library.
Furthermore, in line with the commitment contained in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, the PPP informal advisory group, which is chaired by the Department of Finance and has representation from the social partners, is at an advanced stage of developing a clear framework to assess the appropriateness of PPPs for infrastructure projects and to guide their implementation across sectors.
